Red Gills

[AngelfishRock]

I have an angelfish and I was wondering what the redness in the underneath inside of her gills meant. Is it anything serious?

Thanks for your help.

 

[pieulla]

Let me ask this question. What kind of Angelfish is it exactly? I freaked out when I noticed that my angels had red gills. I thought I was killing them with ammonia. It turns out they were a "blushing" variety. They were supposed to have red gills. Double check the type you have before getting carried away.

 

[AngelfishRock]

I feel stupid in asking this but how do you tell what kind of angelfish it is? She is yellow and silver colored.. I dont know if that helps any.

It could be from the ammonia levels because I keep getting ammonia readings. Ive tried everything to get it down and i dont know how to. Ive tried rocks in a bag that you set in your tank- they havent done anything. Ive tried those tank buddy fizz tablets- they dont do anything either. Ive also tried some stress zyme because at one point awhile ago my fish were stressed from tank conditions from having a new tank and everything and its also supposed to reduce the ammonia levels but I still keep getting readings. Any advice on that?

 

[Cichlid-Man]

Well there are a lot of strains of Angelfish. Koi angels which usually have pink cheeks and blotches of orange and black. The pink cheeks on koi angels kinda look like ammonia burn but they arn't.

Yes you might have some ammonia burn if you have ammonia readings. Do a W/C and see what the readings are.

Was the tank cycled?

 

[AngelfishRock]

I found on a website a picture that kinda looks like my angel and thats a sunset blushing angelfish. The only thing is it says it will develop an orange crown and my fish has developed orange all across the top of her and some on the bottom.

Everything is relatively normal in my tank except for that of the ammonia levels. I changed the water today and the ammonia levels still have not dropped. I was only able to tank about 2 gallons out though because I ran out of the water that I use for the tank, should I take out more?

I also freshly cleaned the tank and she replaced it with feces all over the place again. Could I maybe try cleaning it again tomorrow with more water change than just 2 gallons?

Thanks.

 

[AngelfishRock]

this is my angelfish..kinda small but it wont let me post anything bigger.

also I was wondering if its possible, (if the red gills is a cause of the ammonia levels) is it possible that the red gills will leave? or will they always be there?

 

[Cichlid-Man]

If it is the ammonia then the red gills should go away after ammonia drops.

Was the tank cycled to begin with?

Blushing angels are called blushing for a reason, they have red gill areas and looks like blushing.

 

[AngelfishRock]

well i just thought id ask cuz ive seem on most blushing angels it is red on the outside and the redness on my angel is on the inside underneath of her gills and can only be seen when she breathes out and is at the right angle.

 

[Cichlid-Man]

Got a better picture?

Could just be the gill color.

 

[AngelfishRock]

i cant get a better picture, sorry. Its not visible from the outside and id have to take the picture at just the right moment and hope that shes breathing out when I take it. sorry : )

 

[wayne]

I don't think you need worry although you need to get rid of the ammonia. Fish gills are red because they have a lot of blood flow near the tissue surface (breathing organ), although ammonia will redden them further. Does the fish look like it's gasping abnormally?

 

[AngelfishRock]

not really. the fish seems to be doing fine.. its just in the underneath that I noticed the redness but it could be because my fish is all silver and yellow so when you see a darker redish color it looks so drastic. My ammonia seems to be fine although..I do get readings of about .25 on two different tests but on both cards it says its in the safe level. I have an ammonia alert thing in the tank thats supposed to alert me when ammonia is bad and right now it says safe. I have tried everything to get rid of that .25 ammonia reading that I keep getting but it seems like I have tried everything and nothing works. I have tried putting in those dissolving tank buddy tablets to get rid of it- those didnt work. I have put it these ammonia reducing rocks in a little bag that your supposed to just sit in there and it will get rid of your ammonia- thats not working. I have put in Ammonia Detox.. that doesnt work. And also stress zyme which supposedly gets rid of ammonia and other things but that doesnt work. I only say they dont work because after doing all of these I still get ammonia readings. If you have any suggestions on why this is- are my tests maybe inaccurate or something?
If you have any suggestions, it would really help.
Thank you.

 

[Lotus]

Ammonia detox additives do just that, detoxify the ammonia. They don't actually remove it, which is why you are getting a reading on your test kit. Your fish will hopefully not feel the effects of the ammonia when it is detoxified, but you will still see it on your tests.

 

[AngelfishRock]

how do you totally get rid of it altogether?

 

[Lotus]

Is your tank still cycling? If so, the ammonia will only go away when the cycle is complete.

Also, I think you added another angel in the last day or two. That will only make the problem worse.

 

[AngelfishRock]

darn it.

another question (sorry..im just new to all of this stuff) but how do you know if your tank is still cycling or not?

 

[Lotus]

When your ammonia and nitrites are zero, your tank is cycled.

It usually takes 4 to 6 weeks with a fish-in cycle.

You really shouldn't add any more fish until it is fully cycled.

Hope this helps

 

[AngelfishRock]

does the cycling have anything to do with the filter bag in the filter system? Someone was trying to tell me it was and I didnt know if it was true or not.

Thank you for all your help It means alot